Special Education Teacher

Special Education Teacher

The DCIU has immediate openings for Special Education Teachers to join our programs. This is an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful impact by supporting students with diverse learning needs.

The job of Special Education Teacher was established for the purpose of providing an appropriate individualized program in the least restrictive environment for each student to support the instructional process by serving as a teacher with specific responsibility for developing special education students' success in academics, interpersonal skills and activities of daily living; supervising students within the classroom and other assigned areas; developing lesson plans and delivering group and individual student instruction within established curriculum guidelines; collaborating with other teachers, other professional staff, and administrators in addressing instructional and/or classroom issues; and responding to a wide range of inquiries from students' parents or guardians regarding instructional program and student progress.

Essential Functions

• Adapts classroom work and instructional materials for the purpose of meeting the needs of individual students and providing students with instructional materials that address IEP's within established lesson plans.
• Administers developmental testing programs, subject specific assessments, etc. for the purpose of assessing student competency levels and/or developing IEP's.
• Assesses student progress towards objectives, expectations, and/or goals (e.g. behavioral, motor development and communication skills, academic needs, vocational abilities, etc.) for the purpose of providing feedback to students, parents and administration.
• Collaborates with instructional staff, other school personnel, parents and a variety of community resources for the purpose of improving the overall quality of student outcomes, achieving established classroom objectives in support of the individual educational plan.
• Counsels students for the purpose of improving performance, health status, problem solving techniques and a variety of personal issues.
• Demonstrates methods required to perform classroom and/or subject specific assignments for the purpose of providing an effective program that addresses individual student requirements.
• Design and implement appropriate behavior programs (e.g. positive behavior support, applied behavior analysis) for the purpose of creating a behavior plan based on the assessed function of the behavior.
• Design and implement appropriate instruction programs aligned to PA state standards for the purpose of ensuring appropriateness and compliance.
• Instructs students using a vigorous academic program for the purpose of improving their success in academic, interpersonal, and daily living skills through a defined course of study.
• Performs all duties and processes defined in federal and state regulations for the purpose of ensuring compliance.
• Prepare instruction and manage classroom for the purpose of fulfilling all state and federal mandates regarding the delivery of special education services.
• Prepares And Maintains a variety of written materials adhering to required timelines (e.g. grades, attendance, progress reports, monitoring, student records anecdotal records, IEP's etc.) for the purpose of documenting student progress and meeting mandated requirements.
• Provide collaborative services to assist teachers (e.g. regular education and career and technical education) for the purpose of assisting them in the implementation/modification of established curriculum/materials and/or individual student plans.
• Responds to inquiries from a variety of sources (e.g. other teachers, parents, administrators, LEA's, districts, behavior support consultants etc.) for the purpose of resolving issues, providing information and/or direction.
• Administers, under supervision, first aid and assistance to medically fragile children for the purpose of providing appropriate care for children as assigned.
• Advises parents and/or legal guardians of student progress for the purpose of communicating expectations; student's achievements; developing methods for improvement and/or reinforcing classroom goals in the home environment.
• Directs assistant teachers, student teachers, instructional assistants, volunteers and/or student workers for the purpose of providing an effective classroom program and addressing the needs of individual students.
• Manages student behavior for the purpose of providing a safe and optimal learning environment.
• Monitors students in a variety of educational environments (e.g. classroom, playground, field trips, nap times, etc.) for the purpose of providing a safe and positive learning environment.
• Participates in a variety of meetings for the purpose of conveying and/or gathering information required to perform functions.
• Performs other related duties, as assigned, for the purpose of ensuring the efficient and effective functioning of the work unit.
• Reports incidents (e.g. fights, suspected child abuse, suspected substance abuse, etc.) for the purpose of maintaining personal safety of students, providing a positive learning environment and adhering to School Code and school policies.
• Responds to emergency situations for the purpose of resolving immediate safety concerns and/or directing to appropriate personnel for resolution.

Education Required: Bachelor's degree in job related area

Certification Required: PDE Certified in Special Education

Experience Required: Job related experience required

Program Vacancies:

• Autistic Support
• Multiple Disabilities Support
• Life Skills Support
• Emotional Support